1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides an apparatus and a process wherein a mast and a top drive drilling system are integrated together in a drilling rig so that the top drive remains installed within the mast along with ancillary services and connections at all times. In particular, the present invention provides an integrated mast and top drive for a drilling rig wherein the top drive remains installed within the mast during the process of mast lowering, during the process of mast transportation from location to location, and during the process of mast raising.
2. Prior Art
It is often desirable to move a large drilling rig, including all of its equipment, from one well bore to another. In the past, in order to move a drilling rig, it has been necessary to disassemble or “rig down” the drilling structure, which requires disconnecting all ancillary services and laying down of the mast from a vertical to a horizontal position, moving the drilling structure to an alternate well bore, and then reassembling the entire drill structure and reconnecting all ancillary services.
The drilling site and drilling rig may be configured in various known ways and may include various equipment. The drilling rig will often include an upstanding mast having an open face connected to the floor of the drilling rig. The mast may extend vertically 40 to 50 meters or more and supports a crown assembly at the top. The mast and floor are above and connected to an elongated drilling rig substructure. The drilling rig configuration is generally well known in the art.
Rather than using traditional kelly and rotary table mechanisms to rotate a drilling string and a bit in a drilling rig, top drive drilling systems have been developed over the years. The top drive is an electric motor or, in some cases, a hydraulic motor, which is suspended within a derrick or a mast of a drilling rig and is capable of moving vertically within the derrick or mast. The top drive rotates the drilling string and the bit and reduces the amount of manual labor and associated hazards traditionally accompanying these operations.
While top drive systems have been developed over the years, they are traditionally installed on the drilling rig after the mast has been raised from the horizontal to the vertical position. Additionally, they are traditionally removed from the mast of the drilling rig prior to lowering the mast from the vertical to the horizontal position. Moreover, the top drive drilling system is often moved separately from the mast. Because the top drive is traditionally removed from the rig for mast lowering and then reattached after mast raising, the various connections, such as electrical, hydraulic or other connections, must be attached and then reattached during the mast lowering, mast transportation and mast raising processes.
It would be advantageous to provide an integrated mast and top drilling system so that the top drive remains connected to the mast at all times.
It would also be advantageous to provide an integrated mast and top drive in a drilling rig wherein electrical services and other connections extending from the top drive are prevented from swinging or hanging up in the rig and remain connected to the mast at all times.
It would also be advantageous to provide an integrated mast and top drive in a drilling rig wherein ancillary services, such as mud lines, extending from the top drive remain connected to the mast at all times.
It would also be advantageous to provide an integrated mast and top drive wherein the top drive could be locked to the mast to facilitate raising, lowering and transporting the mast with the top drive in place and to perform maintenance activities on the top drive when the mast is in the raised condition.